How Many People Are Named Ruth?
An estimated 191,718 people in the United States have the first name Ruth. While not in the top 50, it remains a well-known name ranking #282 overall. It is almost exclusively a female name. The average bearer is 62 years old, and Ruth peaked in popularity in 1920 with 26,156 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Ruth as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, and state-by-state birth registrations. You can also check how many people share the full name Ruth paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- While Ruth is overwhelmingly female, 2,780 male births have been registered with this name since 1880.
- Ruth has fallen dramatically from its peak in the 1920s. Recent registrations are less than 5% of what they were at the name's height.
Estimated Living Americans
191,718
About 1 in 1,788 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Common
Predicted Gender
Female
99.7% confidence
Average Age
62
years old
Peak Year
1920
26,156 births
Total Registered
837,080
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Ruth
Ruth is almost exclusively a female name. Out of 837,080 total births registered, 99.7% were female.
Ruth as a male name
Ranked #14,210 in 2008
5 male births in 2008
Peak: 1927 (91 births)
Ruth as a female name
Ranked #172 in 2024
1,767 female births in 2024
Peak: 1920 (26,102 births)
Ruth: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Ruth span from the 1880s to the 2020s, covering 15 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 1920s, when 219,218 babies were registered. Ruth has declined significantly from its peak in the 1920s. Recent registrations are a fraction of what they were at the name's height.
Ruth by Decade
How has Ruth tracked across different eras? The table below groups all SSA birth registrations into 10-year periods, with separate male and female counts. The colored bar shows each decade's share relative to the peak.
| Decade | Total | Male | Female | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 5,308 | 10 | 5,298 | |
| 1890s | 32,974 | 107 | 32,867 | |
| 1900s | 51,177 | 167 | 51,010 | |
| 1910s | 174,122 | 447 | 173,675 | |
| 1920s | 219,218 | 697 | 218,521 | |
| 1930s | 109,765 | 560 | 109,205 | |
| 1940s | 85,965 | 301 | 85,664 | |
| 1950s | 62,667 | 130 | 62,537 | |
| 1960s | 34,326 | 139 | 34,187 | |
| 1970s | 13,514 | 85 | 13,429 | |
| 1980s | 11,314 | 108 | 11,206 | |
| 1990s | 8,754 | 24 | 8,730 | |
| 2000s | 9,185 | 5 | 9,180 | |
| 2010s | 10,852 | 0 | 10,852 | |
| 2020s | 7,939 | 0 | 7,939 | |
Ruth by State
Birth registrations for Ruth span all 51 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in Pennsylvania, New York, Ohio. The lowest are in Nevada, Alaska, Wyoming. On average, about 14,584 Ruths were registered per state.
Ruth + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Ruth as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Ruth
Other first names starting with R with a similar number of bearers.
Ruth: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ruth?
We estimate approximately 191,718 people named Ruth are alive in the United States today. This is based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables. About 1 in 1,788 Americans share this first name.
Is Ruth a common name?
Ruth is classified as "Common" and is more popular than 99.7% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 837,080 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Ruth most popular?
Ruth reached peak popularity in 1920, when 26,156 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Ruth is approximately 62 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
Is Ruth a female name?
Ruth is predominantly female. 99.7% of people with this name are female. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
How many Ruth Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Ruth Smith, Ruth Johnson, Ruth Williams. You can also search any combination on our homepage.
Where does this data come from?
Our estimates use Social Security Administration birth records (1880 to 2024), adjusted for survival using CDC 2023 life tables broken down by sex. The U.S. population figure (342,754,338) is from the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate. Full methodology.
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